Normally, I'm not really a fan of celebrities speaking on which smartphones they use simply because there's always that lingering thought of whether or not they really use the device or if are they just doing it for the money. Plus, these days it instantly becomes a witch hunt to see if they're using the device. Folks lurk around, waiting for a Tweet or some other scenario where they catch the celeb using something else but a new post over at the Inside BlackBerry blog featuring veteran Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver bassist and downright rock legend, Duff McKagan, has to be highlighted.

As the article notes, McKagan is a very busy individual. Aside from being an author of magazine columns and New York Times best-selling books, he's also founder of a wealth management firm, member of several popular bands that continue to sell out arenas worldwide and a husband and father. To help keep it all under control, he relies on a BlackBerry. More specifically, a Porsche Design P'9983. In his latest book, How to Be a Man (and other illusions), McKagan has a whole chapter on why it lines up perfectly with his work style.

"A BlackBerry is for business. For my business, it's a place to check and respond to e-mails, post my gig dates through Twitter, and write my columns," McKagan said. "I'm a grown man now, father of two teenaged girls, a working musician, published author, who lives a clean, healthy lifestyle. People ask me how I manage all of this. I tell them there are no secrets. You wake up every morning and you have a certain amount of hours to fill with whatever you want. Use those hours, be passionate about creating things, and working with people, and creating community and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish."

"I always loved writing, but I feel like I really started writing when I got my BlackBerry," said McKagan. "It was the first time I could take these crazy thoughts in my head and actually get them out. This little device became my journal on the road. Backstage and in hotel rooms all over the world, I typed and typed and typed."

"my Blackberry is the hub of my productivity. I have written probably 250,000 words on the BlackBerry. It's wild to think I've literally written two books with it, authored a ton of columns, and recorded vocal and guitar riffs that end up being huge parts of songs that we lay down at the studio. It keeps me organized and energized and secure that all of my information is genuinely safe and private."

McKagan also touches on security and privacy of his BlackBerry as his wealth management firm is aimed at musicians, and he often has to deal with other people's financial information. Productivity is key as well for McKagan, noting his BlackBerry is a tuned instrument for what he needs to do.

"People in my family have an iPhone. For me, it's just impossible to type on it and be fluid," said McKagan. "It's kind of like trying to play this cheap guitar and not being able the finger the thing. That's what an iPhone is to me. My BlackBerry, meanwhile, is an instrument tuned for what I need to do."

Perhaps the most interesting highlight here, and the one I relate to most and why this is an awesome article for me, comes by way of McKagan's comments on loyalty from his book.

"I stand up for my gadget and am constantly amazed by iPhone snobbery. But, really, this speaks to how we deal with loyalty. I'm a loyal motherf**ker. I know a bunch of us are. Whether it's OG punk rock or rap, Calvin Klein briefs, Pennzoil, or the girl that we love, there are men of this modern age who insist on loyalty… Loyal people grew up with a good dog. Loyal people have a mom they think is a saint. Loyal people get disappointed when others break their trust. Loyal people stay with their BlackBerry…

The BlackBerry is a rare species to spot in the wild these days, but it's out there. We BlackBerry users know who each other are, and I sense a whiff of dignified air when we cross paths. We nod knowingly. BlackBerry owners are the ones taking care of all of the real business that makes our world go around… You all wouldn't know this stuff. You're too busy posting to Instagram, while we're busy getting it done."

Reader comments

Pages

There are a lot of users here tempted by the iFruit of another and lured by seductive and pointless curved screens. Go, I say. Go with your head pointed down, eyes glued to your device and let life pass you by. The point the speaker makes here is clean: use you phone to live your life, not you life to use your phone.

Duff makes a pretty good argument but my main bank and main airline are both based in Canada yet they still only have apps for Android and iPhone. The touchscreen keyboard, the integration of personal and work email, contacts and calendars, and the stock Instant Messenger and on my Android works great to help me get things done. There's no advantage to switching to BlackBerry for me.

6 of the 10 people in my family have BB10 phones and all 6 are happy. 2 of the 4 ladies have iPhones, one of which has a cracked screen, the other is an iphone4, nuff said. 2 of the young men have huge Samsung Phablet's that they both complain about constantly.

Cause the "Millennials" aren't the group being targeted here. Not saying you are one, but Millennials think that they are the center of everyone's attention. They're on Facebook more than anyone else. Posting ridiculous nonsense like " OMG, someone just broke into my house and I'm hiding in my closet". Or they tweet about a bowel movement they just had. That isn't who they are trying to reach here. If they were they'd have Taylor Swift on screen with some inane ramblings able some boyfriend she just dumped. BlackBerry is trying for the middle aged professional type, which is more than likely 80-90 % of their market.
A MUCH smarter move than the Alicia Keys fiasco. All pot shots and joking aside if they want to reach a younger market through celebrity endorsement they really should talk with Drake or Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5). Not only do they appeal to a broader and younger audience but they are both Canadians. The only caveat being that while they both use and prefer the BlackBerry it is not the only brand of phone they carry.

I've been a BlackBerry user for about 10 years and i could identify myself with him. I'm a very pickie guy and believe me I won't settle for less. My Q10 is all I need, keep your I phones if you want to play games and waist your precious time.

Eh, I use my blackberry for e-mail, no longer do I use it for facebook except via the browser, which saves from getting bombed by notifications for nonsense. Twitter is handled via Blaq, and it works great except for this one glitch with direct messages. Us blackberry users rock!!

I totally agree with Duff on everything. I use my BlackBerry because there is nothing else out there that let's me stay up to date on all of my means of communication as easily as BB10. Often at work during meetings people start taking notes on their iPads with the iPhone sitting next to them. When asked why I don't use use a tablet I show them my Passport or Z30 depending on which I am using at the time and most say "ah you still have a BlackBerry."

Using Good Messaging for corporate email is a mess compared to the BES. So for me, the best device for getting things done is a BlackBerry.

If I was a teenage girl wanting to Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook etc. I would still use a BlackBerry. ;-P

Wow, I have been a Gunners fan since 1991. Duff was almost the most "down to earth" guy, compared to the others.

Loyalty is a overused and yet heavy word. Maybe I am too old, but I also have brands I am loyal to (Thinkpad for notebooks, Nike Air Jordan concerning sneakers, Oakley for sunglasses, Sony for home entertainment) since I have been a kid.

It is nice to see, that someone says he is loyal to something and pointing out why. Of course I ain't naive, when it comes to technology - especially the smartphone branch - loyalty can have a hollow meaning...

...nevertheless: Thanks Duff for praising a device and a brand, which should have never ended up in a situation it is now in the first place.

"The BlackBerry is a rare species to spot in the wild these days, but it's out there. We BlackBerry users know who each other are, and I sense a whiff of dignified air when we cross paths. We nod knowingly. BlackBerry owners are the ones taking care of all of the real business that makes our world go around… You all wouldn't know this stuff. You're too busy posting to Instagram, while we're busy getting it done.""

I am a huge BlackBerry fan and I used to love my physical keyboard. But when I went to the Z10 and now the Z30 I now don't miss my keyboard and I love swiping words and being productive with my awesome Z30.

I have used both Apple and Android but I enjoy the hub and the unique features of the BlackBerry ecosystem. I like being different and productive with my own technology.

Thanks Duff! We actually need more celebs expressing publicly what we already know about or beloved workhorse called a Blackberry! I work in the medical field and even though the company I work for doesn't service our BlackBerry anymore after switching to iphone I am still loyal to my BlackBerry! I am the ONLY one still carrying my bb!

This is a great little piece about his and agree with you in what you wrote about, how so many people love to search or prove people wrong on what device they use. We have the ability to choose what we want to use and however many devices that fit our needs.

But I love the the last sentence in the article...."You're too busy posting to Instagram, while we're busy getting it done."

And why don't we see these types of adds on TV?!?! Why do you think apple is doing so well? They spin it the right way through adds, media, ect... this is how the next generation buy products....they don't research it they are persuaded by adds!

Ok, it's a really nice article. But since it's on Inside BlackBerry, could we please get it "Outside" BlackBerry (pun)? As in, make it into a commercial, a Twitter feed (since he mentions those), a webisode, YouTube video, annoying popup ad, anything that let's others who are not already "inside BlackBerry " know about this!!

Its Ok to be loyal to a brand but in my case I know that is not my reason for using BB. Loyalty is not even part of it. Its all the good things about BB and that is why I use it. Stamping a loyal reason on it makes me cringe and cheapens the reality I know.

I know I am different because I can deal with change easier than most. " Be the water " - Bruce Lee

The sad part about a good article promoting something he or she may be using or endorse, we BlackBerry fans know that no matter how many artists or high profile personnel may say good or great things about using Blackberrys or anything else in general..
Once the public gets a bad taste of something.
That's it! No changing of minds.
It's sad but true..

Problem is none of this is known and discovered by general public. BlackBerry must try to actively advertise and communicate. No need to spend lots of cash, well targeted communication is enough. But it must be heard and seen, regularly. So there is awareness among general public.

Ummm.. do you know how to use the internet? Seriously.. If you GOOOOOGLE "active BBM users", the first article is from statista.com that shows they had 91 million ACTIVE users as of October 2014 (almost 10 months ago). Sheesh.. SMFH

Boy, I wouldn't mind myself a Porsche Design P'9983 for it's 64GB of storage, but the price tag is a little scary. Anyway, this article was nothing short of amazing! This is the confident attitude Blackberry owners need to have.

Well written article! And the man speaks of loyalty-something that so few people have in any product or endeavor these days. Wow!
This testimonial is a made for TV BlackBerry ad-Mr.Chen are you listening?

BlackBerry should approach well known celebs and ask them why they use a BlackBerry. Put together a combination of them into a 30 second commercial, and throw it on TV, and online. Who knows... maybe some will resonate with some consumers, and move some more devices.
I'm pretty sure, if someone like this, is openly talking about his love for the device he'll do it for pennies on the dollar.

They laugh at me because I'm different; I laugh at them because they're all the same. 

When the Passport came out there was a tiny bit of advertising that included celebrities. But nothing more than that. BlackBerry should have a campaign that presents at least one person every few months over the next year. And the people should be a mixture of business professionals, celebrities, sports figures, and even new broadcasters. Each one talking about how BlackBerry helps them get things done.

Android is crap. The only reason it's more dominant is that it was an open source mobile OS that anyone and there brother could load on to lousy phones and sell cheap. BlackBerry and iOS are the only quality mobile platforms on the market.

I left because of OS7 blue checkered browser, my main thing was browser centric, but now that I've returned through Z30 and now Passport. If BlackBerry failed tomorrow this Passport will be the last phone I'll use or maybe a red one later on and give this to my wife who has my Z30, I can't get her to say she prefers the Z30 over her old Nexus 4 but I told her I'd switch her back to N4 and she goes quiet!!! LOL

Did anyone actually watch the video??? This was put together as a marketing move by BlackBerry and posted on Youtube. If you want to help spread the word, post on your Facebook or Twitter. BlackBerry obviously knows TV and Newspaper are dead and it's all going social media for advertising.

BlackBerry/Sir Chen needs us all BlackBerry fans/supporters/readers/users here in CrackBerry to share our stories how it change our lives using BlackBerry smartphone and put these on a video and make it an advertisement for BlackBerry.

Nicely said, I remember listening to GnR and enjoyed it during my college days and now am a busy pro and father of two loving daughters I can relate my BlackBerry has been with me all the way. My BlackBerry passport is just perfect for me nowadays..

I'm loyal, to a fault. I would NEVER own an apple product nor would I use an android only powered device. I'm so loyal, I buy nearly every BlackBerry device upon release. I am constantly promoting how awesome BlackBerry is and I really do convince some of them to purchase a BlackBerry device. Selling out is something that people used to take seriously, glad this guy does too.

Why is using another brand of phone considered selling out? Blackberry effed up years ago and is still playing catch up.
And as much as I love his statement and enthusiasm for BlackBerry , I bet 99% of people with a guns n roses t shirt won't know who he is.

Nice!!....I Recently Downloaded His How To Be A Man(And Other Illusions) ebook And His 'It's So Easy (And Other Lies) ' ebook As Well. I'm A Huge Fan Of The 80s-90s Guns n Roses Material, I Have To Say,Im Impressed By His Choice Of Device. Great Bassist, Great Writer, And Seemingly Great Businessman. Keep It Up Duff Beers!..lol (Guns n Roses Fans Will Get That)

Hey I have nothing against Android, heck we BlackBerry 10 users have the Android runtime which gives us access to thousands and thousands of apps we otherwise wouldn't have access to so that being said there is a reason for Android to exist. I know I would never own an Android device as long as BlackBerry is around. My question is why are you here in a Blackberry forum if you don't own a Blackberry other than trying to start trouble? You need to grow up!

Well good for you. But I would guarantee you own at least the same amount of Android powered phones or you wouldn't even make a statement like that.
I really have nothing against Android, it is just that I definitely don't ever want to see an Android powered Blackberry, not even as an option to Blackberry 10 on a Blackberry smartphone. As I have said in these forums before "I would rather see BlackBerry stop making smartphones all together than release an Android or Windows version"! I have to say if Blackberry wasn't around that I would most likely choose an Android powered device as my personal device. because I know I don't want to own an Iphone but truthfully I hope it never comes to that!!

Cool, Me personally I don't like seeing people using their phone's at church (during the service) it's to much of a distraction, their less likely to get focused and learn something, it's very easy to get side tracked and it's a distraction not only to themselves but also to those around them. People seem to think their phones are their babies it's almost as if they worship them and can't be without them. I always leave mine in the car when I'm at church. To much modern stuff nowadays are taking to much of our time and attention from what really matters. Anyway you take care. :o)

A BlackBerry TV add at all at this point would be a start. I bet they would sell a good number of Passport and Classics if people knew they existed. ( All right a few Porsche Designs too, but out of reach for most of us.)

You could call us biased, and you wouldn’t be wrong, because at CrackBerry we love BlackBerry and think you should own a BlackBerry Smartphone! We also work as a community support and marketing partner with BlackBerry and BlackBerry Mobile. Our immense passion and knowledge of BlackBerry by our editors and community members make this the best resource for BlackBerry you’ll find anywhere!